republic · Maritime Southeast Asia

Lanfang Republic

1777 CE – 1884 CE · capital Mandor

Self-governing Hakka mining polity in West Borneo, sometimes called the first republic in Asia, that lasted over a century.

Origins

Luo Fangbo, a Hakka scholar and migrant from Guangdong, organised Chinese gold miners near Pontianak and in 1777 founded the Lanfang kongsi at Mandor. Allied with the Pontianak Sultanate, it grew into a substantial state controlling mines, farmland and trade routes inland.

Rule and society

Lanfang was headed by an elected leader (the taige) assisted by officials, and decisions involved consultation among its members, which has led some writers to call it a republic, though the label is debated. It levied taxes, administered justice and maintained a militia. Most of its people were Hakka miners and farmers, with temple worship to Chinese deities.

Decline and legacy

The Dutch tolerated Lanfang as a semi-autonomous ally longer than other kongsis. When its leader Liu Asheng died in 1884 they moved to take control, crushed resistance in 1884 to 1885 and annexed it into the Dutch East Indies.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lanfang Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lanfang-republic
MLA
“Lanfang Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lanfang-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lanfang Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lanfang-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lanfang Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lanfang-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻